THE READING WORKSHOP
READING GOALS
To become EFFICIENT, ACTIVE and
CRITICAL readers
TRUE OR FALSE?
“If I always read more slowly I will better
understand difficult concepts and confusing texts.”
FALSE: Sometimes reading slowly can impair your
understanding. Slow readers are more likely to miss
the point or get bogged down with minute detail.
FACTORS THAT REDUCE READING
RATE AND COMPREHENSION
Limited perceptual span or excessive fixation
Rereading
Vocalization
Distractions
Lack of reading practice
BENEFITS OF ACTIVE READING
Active readers will:
use powerful multisensory strategies
increase reading comprehension
read to remember
ESSENTIAL STRATEGIES FOR TEXTBOOK
READING
Begin with a clear intention to understand what
you read
Be inquisitive
Relate new information to prior knowledge
Manage your textbook reading time effectively
STEP I: SURVEYING THE TEXT
Helps to see the big picture
Activates prior knowledge
Sets the stage to create new associations
Enhances motivation and interest
Boosts confidence
Provides information about length and difficulty
of the reading material
• Helps set realistic goals to manage time
effectively
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HOW TO SURVEY THE TEXT
Read titles and subtitles
Read the introduction or first paragraph
Read headings
Read the first sentence under the heading
Watch for typographical and graphic aids
Read the summary
STEP II: FORMULATE QUESTIONS
Formulating questions is an active reading
strategy that promotes purposeful
reading, activates curiosity, improves
comprehension, and helps sustain
attention.
STEP III: ADJUST YOUR READING RATE
It is important to adjust your rate of reading to the difficulty of
the text and the purpose of your reading. Effective readers
adjust their rate, while ineffective readers apply the same rate
to everything they read.
REASONS TO IMPROVE READING RATE
In college, you have much reading and limited time.
Reading too slowly reduces comprehension.
Reading too slowly decreases interest in the text.
WHEN TO INCREASE SPEED
The material is simple
The content is repetitive
You are familiar the information
You are not reading to remember facts
and details
You are searching for specific information
WAYS TO INCREASE READING RATE
AND COMPREHENSION
Read in a quiet distraction free environment
Set your purpose for reading and self-monitor
Use a pen as a pacer to increase the number of
words within a chunk
HOW TO MONITOR COMPREHENSION
Answer the guide questions that you
developed prior to reading and check that
you can answer them
Try to predict possible test questions
Take practice quizzes
SOURCES
"Active Reading: Comprehension and Rate." Reading Your Textbooks
Effectively and Efficiently. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 July 2016.
Hopper, Carolyn H. “5-10." Practicing College Learning Strategies.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. N. Print.
Marks-Beale, Abby. "2." Success Skills: Strategies for Study and
Lifelong Learning. Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western, 2007.
McWhorter, Kathleen T. "2." College Reading and Study Skills. Boston:
Little, Brown, 1980. Wong, Linda. Essential Study Skills. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Print.